Ground-anchor.



No. 768,705. PATENTED AUG. 30, 1904. W. W. SWAN.

GROUND ANCHOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEO. 28. 1903.

NO MODEL.

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f A "A /l wim ESSS I /NvENTo R Patented August-30, 1904.

PATENT OEETCE.

VILLIAM W. SWAN, OF FRANKFORT, SOUTH DAKOTA.

GROUND-ANCHOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 768,705, dated August30, 1904. Application filed December 28, 1903. Serial No. 186,874. (Nomodel.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM l/V. SWAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Frankfort, in the county of Spink and State of South Dakota,have invented a new and useful Ground-Anchor, of which the following isa speciiication.

My invention relates to improvements in ground or soil anchors in whicha-rod or stay is attached to a plate or disk embedded in the ground, therod or stay extending to the surface of the earth in order that someobject maybe connected and secured thereto; and the objects of myinvention are, first, to provide an anchor-plate and stay that can besunk in the ground quickly and easily by striking with a hammer or maul;second, to provide an anchor and stay of simple and inexpensiveconstruction that will embody the least amount of material to withstandthe required strain; third, to provide an anchor-plate that presents itspointed end and least cross-section to the resistance of the earth indriving and that resists withdrawal by presenting its greatest surfaceperpendicular to the line of pull or tension; and, fourth, to provide asuitable detachable driving-bar that can be used repeatedly and by meansof which the anchors can be driven by the impact of blows. I attainthese objects by means of the contrivances explained hereinafter, andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is avertical view of the entire device, showing driving-bar, anchor-plate,and stay connected ready for driving; Fig. 2, a top view of theanchor-plate; Fig. 3, an edge view of the anchor-plate; Fig. 4, a viewof a portion of the lower end of the driving-bar, showing one of theopposite longitudinal grooves; Fig. 5, a cross-section of the drivingbaron the line l 2, Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a view showing two applications of myanchors one in bracing a post, the other in securing the fence-wire. Theearth is shown in vertical section.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

My invention consists of the three interdependent parts shown in Fig.1--viz., the driving-bar A, the anchor-plate B, and the stay rod, wire,or cord O.

Theanchor-plate B may be a thin fiat plate of metal or other suitablematerial. It may be of any desirable shape and size, the object being'with a given amount of material to present the least cross-sectionalresistance to driving and the greatest surface consistent with thenecessary stiifness and strength to resist being withdrawn. I thereforeprefer the form shown, in which thelength is greater than the breadth.The lower end of the anchor-plate Bis provided with a center beveledpoint (see Figs. 1, 2, and 3,) so that the anchor-plate will morereadily penetrate the ground and drive easier.

The upper end of the plate has two points 0 c', formed by equal rightand left bevels from the longitudinal axis of the plate upwardly andoutwardly to the side edges of the plate. (See Figs. 1, 2, and 3.) Thetwo upper points c c are each equally bent or curved in the samedirection and toward the bottom or lower face of the anchor-plate, asshown in the edge longitudinal View Fig. 8. These offset points o c' arefor the purpose of digging into the soil and causing the upper surfaceof the anchor-plate to become perpendicular to the line of pull when astrain is applied to the outer or surface end It of the stay C. Theoffset in the points c o also acts to counterbalance the resistance todriving of the rigid projecting connection CZ, (shown in Figs. l, 2, and3,) thus preventing the anchor-plate from driving crooked or out ofline. In the upper end of the plate B is alongitudinal slot L, (see Fig.2,) extending' downwardly in the center of the plate a suitable distanceand adapted to have its edges slide and iit into the grooves g g in thelower end of the drivingbar A. (See Fig. 1.) In the lower end of thedriving-bar A are two opposite longitudinal grooves g g', extendingupwardly from the bottom end of the driving-bar a suitable distance andadapted to slide and t into the slot 71 holding the driving-bar andanchorplate rigidly in line with each other, but not prcvcntii'ig thewithdrawal of the driving-bar from the slot in a direction away from thepoint /i and in line with the'axis of the driving-bar. The slot r/ isshown in longitudinal elevation, Fig. si. l

Both slots f/ g/ are shown in crosssection (see Fig. 5) on the line l 2,Fig. a. The anchor-plate ,B has also a rigid eye or stapleshapedconnecting projection il extending outwardly from its upper surface andadapted to engage with an eye in the end. of the stay-C, .forming ahinged or `flexible joint at a slight distance from the upper surface ofthe anchorplate. The eye or staple ([(see Figs. l, 2, 3, and 6) islocated midway between the longitudinal edges of the plate l?) andsomewhat nearer the point 1' than the points c c. The outward projection ofthe eye or staple (if, its nearer prox- .im i ty to the point 71than to the u pper points c c', and its flexible or hinged joint withthe stay C all act in conjunction and cause the surface of theanchor-plate B to become perpendicular to the line of pull when a strainis applied to the outer end fr of the stay C after the anchor has beendriven and the fflriving-bar detached and withdrawn. rlhe appearance ofthe anchor as applied to brace a post and stay the 'fencing' is shown inFig. G, the earth or soil, being' shown in vertical section. Of courseit will be understood the same driving-bar is used reiieatedly indriving one anchor after another. At a short distance from its upper endthe driving-bar A islitted with a cross-head a. rlhe cross-head is forthe purpose of forming a handheld for convenience in detaehing andwithdrawi 11g the driving-bar. When the driving-bar and anchor areconnected, as shown in Fig. l, the end. of the driving-bar engages orbutts against the bottom of the slot /1,.

The mode of operation of my invention is as follows: the operatorattaches his drivingbar to the plate, as shown in Fig. l. Holding thebar vertical or at any desired angle he stri lies upon the upper endwith a hammer, thus quickly and easily sinking the anchor to the depthdesired, the stay following the hole made by the bar. Now grasping thecrosshead handles of the bar by slightly twisting and pulling the latteris easily detached and withdrawn. A pull on the stay will now cause theanchor-plate to take its proper position, when it is ready forconnection to the object to be secured. The operation may beindelinitely i'epeated with the same driving-bar, sinking as manyanchors as required. anchors may be applied to any purpose whateverwhere it is desired to secure an object to the ground.

Changes in the material and in the form, size, proportion, and the minerdetails of the construction of my invention may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the principles involved or sacrificing any of itsadvantages.

These W h at I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is4

l. ln ground-anchors adapted to be driven by means of detachabledriving-bars; the combination of a thin, flat, and oblong anchorplate,adapted to present its center converging, lower end edges to theresistance of the soil in driving, and to resist being withdrawn, bypartially revolving, and thereby presentingl its entire upper surface tothe resistance V-ofthe soil, vertical to the line of pull; and asurface-reaching stay wire or rod, connected to the said plate by meansof a flexible hingejoint all as set forth and for the purpose specitied.

2. In a ground-anchor used and driven by means of a detachabledriving-bar; an anchorplate, adapted to drive into the ground edgewise,and to withstand a strain, by partially revolving on an axis parallel toits upper and lower surfaces; thereby opposing' the entire area of itsupper surface to: the res' tance of the earth perpendicular to the lineof pull; all substantially as shown and described.

3. ln a ground-anchor used and driven by means of a detachabledriving-bar; the combination of an anchor-plate adapted to driveedgewise, and to withstand a retractile strain by partially revolvingand opposing its entire upper surface to the resistance of the earthperpendicular to the line of pull; and, a detachable driving-bar havingopposite longitudinal grooves in its lower end, which are adapted toslide into freely, and interlock in a retractile and detachable manner,with a corresponding slot extending' into the anchorplate from its edge;said slot being proportioned so that the end of the bar abuts with theanchor-plate; all substanti ally as describedv and for the purposespeciiied.

il. In a ground-anchor, an oblong anchorplate having its lower endbeveled from its longitudinal edges downward to its axis forming' acenter point, its upper end beveled upwardly and outwardly from itslongitudinal axis to its edges forming two points, each point being'bent or curved toward the bottom or lower face of the anchor-plate; theanchor-plate having a center slot extending downwardly from the junctureof the upper points and parallel to the axis, a suitable distance, andthe said anchor-plate also having a rigid. eye or staple projecting fromits upper surface all as shown and for the purposes speciiied.

5. In ground-anchors adapted to be driven by means of detachabledriving-bars;4 the coinbination of the driving-bai' having' thecrosshead near its upper end, and the opposite longitudinal grooves inits lower end, with the thin, fiat, and oblong anchor-plate, having thetwo similar oli'set upper points, the central longitudinal slot betweenthe said two points,

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In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication 1n thepresence or two sub- IO sorlbing Wltnesses.

WILLIAM W. SWAN.

Witnesses:

W. J. JONES, GEO. MCALLISTER.

